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Arecent dining experience at the Bearded Frog convinced me of this: Chef Andrea Cousinea is the Queen of Umami. The taste sensation known as umami comes from the Japanese words umai, meaning delicious, and mi, meaning taste. Specifically, it refers to a pleasant savory taste that is now included among the five basic tastes: sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and since 1985, umami. Technically, that means there are particular natural occurring amino acids and ribonucleotides in many veggies and certain seafoods and meats that balance taste. The resulting sensation is that these ingredients when mixed together surpass the taste of each one alone. And the Bearded Frog's Chef Cousinea wears this culinary crown. In her own words, balancing distinct flavors perfectly has been her lifelong pursuit and now is her professional forte. "I was not a kid whose food couldn't touch on the plate. I liked to mix it up and to see what tasted even better when together in my mouth than when eaten alone. I like to balance the flavors within each dish, separately and together, and I also like to present it well architecturally with carefully chosen and balanced textures and colors on the plate."

My dinner companion, Cherie Schrader, and I arrived early to beat the holiday weekend rush. We started with a shared appetizer, the Graham Cracker Crusted Calamari with a Lime and Chive Emulsion. She also had a dazzling and refreshing summer cocktail, a Royal Rude Cosmo, accompanied with the Frog's well-known and much valued chilled sidecar. In terms of our appetizer, I admit that I am a bit of a reluctant and skeptical calamari fan, it is often tasteless and rubbery, and not worth the calories; however, I was pleased to discover that the Bearded Frog's calamari is not remotely like that -  it is delicious and worth every calorie. In fact, the squid was perfectly tender and lightly wrapped up in graham cracker crust, sitting on a bed of lime emulsion with a very light drizzle of balsamic atop. For an entrée, I chose the Roasted Duck Breast with Lima Bean Puree, and the Moroccan Vegetable Mash. The vegetable mash was perfect umami: a thick and pretty "patty" of cauliflower, sweet potatoes, garlic, onion, ginger, red peppers, made with coconut milk and a profusion of aromatic spices. The duck breast was moist and tender without a drop of fat. Cherie had the Buttermilk Marinated Pork Chop with Sweet Potato Mash and Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Braised Red Cabbage and a drizzle of Maple Bourbon Demi glaze. The presentation was glorious with color, the pork chop was thick and tender, and the maple bourbon demi glaze was so delicious we could have downed it as a shooter. Presenting beautiful dishes with delicious, distinct and blended flavors, colors, and textures is indeed Cousinea's sovereign talent. It's no wonder that the Bearded Frog's parking lot is full almost every night, every month of the year. It is a glowing warm restaurant with fabulous food.

Bearded Frog's General Manager Dickie Austin, commented, "In June we [the restaurant] were five-years-old! That's a huge landmark in the restaurant business, and particularly because the last five years were the worst economic times since the depression. And yet despite this, we are doing very well. When the economic downturn hit the country and the tourist business bottomed out, our parking lot just kept turner greener." "Greener?" I asked. "Yes," he continued, "Our parking lot just kept filling up with more green license plates - Vermonters. Nothing can beat a local year round business for sustainability, and our community is steady, loyal, and just great. And nothing in the restaurant business can top that."

The Bearded Frog has the Queen of Umami and many loyal subjects. Now I can't help but think that in giving Shelburne the Bearded Frog restaurant, owner Michele Mahe has also give the town an epicurean prince.

Open seven days a week from 4:30-9 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays until 10 p.m., 985-9877